Paleo Elk Meatballs

Because of insulin issues related to my PCOS, I've been toying with the Paleo diet.  This diet basically tries to limit what you eat to foods that were available to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, or at least find modern equivalents to those foods.  In trying to do just that, followers of this lifestyle remove all refined carbohydrates from their menus.  Carbs are a huge no-no for PCOS sisters, like myself, making Paleo recipes a natural choice. 

This elk meatball recipe is really just a traditional meatball which is made without the addition of bread crumbs.  The first time I tried it out, I was concerned about the meatballs being crumbly or not holding their shape, but they held up to cooking really well and tasted just as yummy as any other meatball I've made in the past.  

Below is the basic recipe, but you can easily adapt it by changing the seasonings used (i.e. Italian, Asian...).  

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground elk
1/2 cup chopped spinach (fresh or frozen)
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
sea salt to taste

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly with your hands.
3. Form the elk mixture into golf ball sized rounds.
4.  Place the meatballs one inch apart on a baking sheet.
5. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
6. Serve as is, or with your favorite sauce.
7. Makes about 12 large meatballs.